Betla ranger Nathuni Singh under Tiger Reserve Palamu got a snub from Divisional Forest Officer AK Mishra for coming in the ‘way of love’ of Rakhi a female elephant who developed a fascination for an adult male elephant recently.
Notably, The Pioneer had carried a story ‘Anarkali’s mourning over, Rakhi falls in love…’’ on October 24 edition.
The ranger in question Nathuni Singh had said that the male elephant tempted Rakhi and the two decided to go deep into the jungles when PTR’s people saw this who cried for Rakhi and sensing trouble the wise male elephant left Rakhi behind and slipped silently into the jungles.
Giving his reaction, DFO Core AK Mishra said, “I fully agree with The Pioneer’s reporting on this issue as what the ranger told the newspaper ranger Nathuni Singh had in fact told me the same and similar things earlier about Rakhi and her infatuation for the male elephant and how the PTR people came in the way of this love affair.”
“I never believed my ranger would parrot the same thing for which I gave him a dressing down earlier. There is a mindset and PTR ground staff seldom come out of the shell,” added Mishra.
“Had I been there when this love escapade of Rakhi and the male elephant was on in Betla National Park I would have allowed Rakhi to have her time with this male elephant and would have never come in the way of their trust and faith in each other” the DFO said. The ranger did a big wrong he asserted.
The fear of the ranger was that since Rakhi is a pet elephant of PTR and has never been free in the herd her life would have been at serious risk in the herd while ranger’s superior officer DFO Core believes that if Rakhi on her own was going with the male elephant to live in the herd then where the wrong was.
“My ranger should understand that living in herd for a female elephant is more safe secured and risk free than roaming around like a loner,” he said.
Asked if such a transition from captivity to wilderness is not fraught with danger DFO Core said, “Nature is multi dimensional and here wild life gets adapted to natural surroundings than in any man made environment.”
Had Rakhi joined the herd, which was frustrated by our PTR men the PTR would have been saved more than 200,000 rupees per annum that comes on her upbringing here in the National Park Betla reminded Mishra who said, “If the male elephant gives another offer to Rakhi then nobody in the PTR will come in their way rather will feel relieved that Rakhi has gone to Nature.”